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Egypt to Receive More AstraZeneca, Pfizer Doses

Egyptians get tested for Covid-19 at a drive-through coronavirus-testing center in Cairo. (AFP file photo)
Egyptians get tested for Covid-19 at a drive-through coronavirus-testing center in Cairo. (AFP file photo)
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Egypt to Receive More AstraZeneca, Pfizer Doses

Egyptians get tested for Covid-19 at a drive-through coronavirus-testing center in Cairo. (AFP file photo)
Egyptians get tested for Covid-19 at a drive-through coronavirus-testing center in Cairo. (AFP file photo)

Egypt announced on Monday it expects to receive new doses of the Pfizer, AstraZenca and Johnson & Johnson vaccine, stressing the role the inoculation drive plays in curbing daily COVID-19 infections.

The Ministry of Health confirmed that the second dose of the vaccine is safe for all residents who received the first jab.

Egypt has in recent weeks witnessed a significant decline in coronavirus infections.

On Monday, the country recorded 117 new cases, bringing the total to 283,102. The Health Ministry announced 13 new deaths, raising the total to 16,396 nationwide.

Meanwhile, Health and Population Minister Hala Zayed said Monday that Egypt agreed to join the Treaty for the Establishment of the African Medicines Agency (AMA), which aims to localize the manufacture of medicines and vaccines across Africa.

The announcement came during a press conference in the presence of representative of the African Union for the AMA, Michel Sidibe and head of the health division at the African Union Commission, Dr. Margaret Agama.

“Egypt will work through the AMA to serve the African people, and supply them with medicines and vaccines that are produced locally in Egypt, after achieving local sufficiency and according to the signed agreements,” Zayed said.

For his part, Sidibe praised Egypt’s efforts to locally manufacture medicines and vaccines. “Countries that are incapable of securing vaccine doses, would be unable to protect their people,” he stressed.

Sidibe said 15 million out of Africa’s 1.3 billion people have been already inoculated against the virus.

Meanwhile, Health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said Egypt will receive 2 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine by the end of the week, in addition to raw materials sufficient to produce 10 million Sinovac doses.

He confirmed that the coming days should witness an expansion of the vaccination drive after Egypt receives a large quantity of doses.

Presidential Adviser for Health Affairs Mohamed Awad Tag El-Din said Egypt is on its way to gradually receive 25 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines from the African Union.

In an interview with a local channel, he confirmed that Egypt has not yet recorded any case of the Delta variant, adding that his country is dealing firmly with the pandemic to prevent a fourth wave.

In a related development, Advisor to the Ministry of Health for Research Dr. Noha Assem confirmed that Egypt is heading towards self-sufficiency in vaccines, adding that the country should meet all local needs by August.

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Arab World

After US Exemption, UN Says More Significant Syria Sanctions Work Needed

A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
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After US Exemption, UN Says More Significant Syria Sanctions Work Needed

A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)

A US sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria is welcome, but "much more significant work ... will inevitably be necessary," the UN special envoy on Syria, Geir Pedersen, told the Security Council on Wednesday.

After 13 years of civil war, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in a lightening offensive by opposition forces led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group a month ago.

The US, Britain, the European Union and others imposed tough sanctions on Syria after a crackdown by Assad on pro-democracy protests in 2011 that spiraled into war. But the new reality in Syria has been further complicated by sanctions on HTS - and some leaders - for its days as an al-Qaeda affiliate.

"I welcome the recent issuance of a new temporary General License by the United States government. But much more significant work in fully addressing sanctions and designations will inevitably be necessary," Pedersen told the council.

The US on Monday issued a sanctions exemption, known as a general license, for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance and allow some energy transactions.

"The United States welcomes positive messages from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, but will ultimately look for progress in actions, not words," deputy US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Camille Shea told the Security Council.

The foreign ministry in Damascus on Wednesday welcomed the US move and called for a full lifting of restrictions to support Syria's recovery.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said earlier on Wednesday that European Union sanctions on Syria that obstruct the delivery of humanitarian aid and hinder the country's recovery could be lifted swiftly.

Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia criticized the sanctions imposed on Syria by Washington and others, adding: "As a result, the Syrian economy is under extreme pressure and is not able to cope with the challenges facing the country." Russia was an Assad ally throughout the war.

'END THE SUFFERING'

Formerly known as Nusra Front, HTS was al-Qaeda's official wing in Syria until breaking ties in 2016. Along with unilateral measures, the group has also been on the UN Security Council al-Qaeda and ISIS sanctions list for more than a decade, subjected to a global assets freeze and arms embargo.

There are no UN sanctions on Syria over the civil war.

Syria's UN Ambassador Koussay Aldahhak was appointed a year ago by Assad's government but told the council on Wednesday that he was speaking for the caretaker authorities.

"It is high time to end the suffering, to enable Syrians to live in security and prosperity, to live a dignified life in their country, to build a better future for their country," Aldahhak said.

"For this reason, we call upon the United Nations and its member states to immediately and fully lift the unilateral coercive measures to provide the necessary financing to meet humanitarian needs and recover basic services," he said.

Pedersen said he is seeking to work with the caretaker authorities in Syria "on how the nascent and important ideas and steps so far articulated and initiated could be developed towards a credible and inclusive political transition."

Pedersen said attacks on Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity must stop, specifically calling out Israel.

As Assad's government crumbled towards the end of last year, Israel launched a series of strikes against Syrian military infrastructure and weapons manufacturing sites to prevent them falling into the hands of enemies.

"Reports of the IDF using live ammunition against civilians, displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure are also very worrying," Pedersen said. "Such violations, along with Israeli airstrikes in other parts of Syria – reported even last week in Aleppo – could further jeopardize the prospects for an orderly political transition."